MikeLigalig.com

OFFICIAL STATEMENT on the WHALESHARK FEEDING In Taug, Lila, Bohol

I issue this statement devoid of all my past and present titles as a high ranking official of the Philippine and Provincial Governments. I issue this statement not as a Former Agriculture Secretary and Chairman of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, nor as a Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives nor as Governor of Bohol. I issue this statement as a simple human being who loves my province of Bohol and everything it stands for.

And what does the Province of Bohol stand for?

I should hope that Bohol stands for the respect of the rights of “ALL” to live in peace in an environment protected from harm and made sustainable for all time. When I say “ALL”, I mean it to include “ALL” creatures created by God in this world of His creation.

In feeding whalesharks in Lila, we must take pause to ask a few questions:

Are we engaged in this activity as a genuine concern for any threat to the life and preservation of these magnificent creatures, or are we doing this for our own monetary gain or profit?

Are we intervening to feed the whalesharks because it is in danger of dying from starvation?

If we continue feeding these whalesharks, are we not affecting their ability to survive in the wild and even affecting their habits of feeding, procreation and other ecological roles they are fulfilling when they roam the seas freely without any human intervention?

Are we not endangering whalesharks not only by interfering in their natural order but actually conditioning them to approach boats and human contact which may expose them to danger, accidents, capture and, or exploitation?

We must be honest to say that these whalesharks need no saving. These whalesharks need not be fed to stay alive and yes, we will affect their life habits, and their natural order and interfere in whatever ecological roles they are fulfilling in the marine world by feeding them. By feeding them, we are effectively keeping them captive. Worst, we are disabling their ability to survive in the wild. We are training them to be dependent on manual feeding and will expose them to untold dangers by conditioning them to approach boats and humans.

If truly we wish to preserve whalesharks, and all living species for that matter in Bohol, we must be focusing instead on sustainable practices for water, power, septage and the protection of our environment. The challenge for Bohol today is not to attract visitors and tourism commerce, the challenge today is keeping Bohol pristine and sustainable for the generations yet to come.

Yes I am for jobs, business, commerce, investments, industry, the defeat of hunger, disease and poverty in our time, BUT.....without affecting the natural order of life for all creatures and their habitats.

I ask the people of Lila and the Local Government, to take a step back and reflect on these fundamental issues that define our very humanity. I ask the People of Lila and the LGU to examine the situation as exemplary citizens of the world, without the need of having to resort to the language of Administrative Order 193 (1998), the Philippine Fisheries Code, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, The Convention of Migratory Species, and the Local Government Code on what the Provincial Government can order stopped or sanctioned.

In man’s power today is the ability to save lives, preserve the earth and to destroy worlds. The People and Government of Lila must decide what they want to be: The savior of lives or the destroyer of worlds.

ATTY. ARTHUR C. YAP, J.D., PhD

* Today's Helpful Tip *
Tala app is a fast and easy way to borrow money, and it's used and trusted by many. Download Tala to join millions of Filipino users today! >>> http://inv.re/9o3vp



Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=91897.0